The salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial massachusetts between february 1692 and may 1693 more than two hundred people were accused thirty were found guilty nineteen of whom were executed by hanging fourteen women and five men one other man giles corey was pressed to death for refusing to plead and at least five . The witch trials in salem began when two little girls betty parris age 9 and abigail williams age 11 began to have strange fits they would twitch and scream and make strange animal noises they claimed they felt as if they were being pinched and stuck with pins when they interrupted church the people in salem knew the devil was at work. The salem witch trials were not the first to rattle the colonial united states witchcraft was decreed as one of twelve crimes deserving of capital punishment in colonial connecticut and the colonists made use of the law too the first person to be executed for witchcraft in the american colonies was hanged in hartford connecticut on may 26 1647 at least five other witches were tried and . The salem witch trials of colonial america salem witch trials paranoia the salem witch trials were a horrible time in american history filled with distrust stono rebellion and salem witch trials british north america through salutary neglect the lax rule attracted essay about from rosie to